A little birdy told me and his name was Twitter
Special to Hudson Valley Public Relations by Vinny Sceri, Marist College Intern
The future of communication is now. Twenty years ago looks more like forty, and it seems to keep growing exponentially. Who would of thought twenty years ago that you could have direct access to any person, company, or event. A direct line to be heard and noticed. Well that’s exactly what Twitter is, a direct line to the entire world. With Twitter, communication has been revolutionized and the power of speech has been given to all. And with this power comes the chance to represent yourself as you would like. The ability to advocate for yourself and others as well as show who you are and what you represent. Twitter really is your own personal PR team.
Today there is over three hundred million twitter users and about five hundred million tweets sent daily, so if you think your tweets are not being seen you’re wrong. Whether you want them or not your tweets are being seen and this is can go either one of three ways. Your tweet can be seen but soon forgotten, seen and cause a positive reaction, or be seen and creative negativity and controversy. The last outcome is usually not desired and that is why being savvy and well educated in the art of social media is important. Just like a professional public relations team, you should be carefully selecting your words and be prepared for how your statements are received, especially if your are high profile. You don’t want to end up like the Entenmann’s company who tweeted this,
The problem was with the hashtag #notguilty. The tweet was sent the same day as the not guilty verdict regarding the Casey Anthony trial. The tweet by Entenmann’s came across as completely insensitive and became a #PR nightmare.
This shows just how powerful Twitter can be. It is the quickest way these days for anyone to make a statement, just ask Oprah Winfrey. The well known talk show host had been getting some criticism for supposedly not giving back to the community. Without having to stage a press conference or do an interview, Winfrey was able to quickly respond to her critics with her own words using Twitter,
After this many of Oprah’s supporters came to her aid on Twitter by sending supportive tweets and positive messages. This is an example of someone who knows how to use this social media, communications, super tool to their advantage.
Twitter is an interesting bird and it can be hard to master but here are some quick tips to be your own PR manager:
- Read every tweet – Don’t just type something up quick not look it over and then hit send. Once it is out there it is out there and if there is a mistake it can be hard to correct.
- Be in the right state of mind – This can be harder said than done, but try and avoid tweeting when you are in an emotional mind state. Whether it be mad, sad, scared, or inebriated, your tweets can wait.
- Pay attention – Stay up to date on current events, social media trends and the news. This should hopefully keep you out of the same trouble that Entenmann’s faced.
This world is changing fast. To keep up you need to be heard and Twitter is where everyone’s talking.
To find out more about Twitter and how to effectively communicate visit our website www.hudsonvalleypublicrelations.com or call at 845-202-7087
Works Cited
Bhasin, K. (2012, February 6). 13 Epic Twitter Fails By Big Brands. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
Company | About. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2015.
Oprah Winfrey Snaps at Twitter User: ‘I’ve Put 500 Black Men Through College’ (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2015.
